ELECTORAL ANOMALIES

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18, 22 July 1919, Page 9

ELECTORAL ANOMALIES

TO 188 EDITOB.

Sir, —I have read- your le^dirtg ar-fcicle under this-heading ia tq-night's Post, and would point out that •while you advocate the adoration of. tho absolute- majority" system,I', air 'the anomalies you criticise in' connection with the late ©lection in the. United. Kingdom, illustrate tiie necessity of pVq.poi'tional representatipn, and nothing .else.1 You point out very properly that whjle tha Cqalition piqy©rnjnei\t s'epuresl a ihr?e-tiq-one 'liiftjfflrity p{ sea.tg, thp actual voting- in the <;Qn.S;tituenciea ghayy--efl thai the proportion. ,s}ip,uld: be 1 395. sea^s to, 311. Th© resiijfc is that the authority of Parliament, is weakened, for the reason that important sectipps of opinion arg not represented' there. But in what respect would the absolute majority system have improved tW position? In Ireland, for -example., Sinn Fein "swept the board!'!' Y«l '%. H. W. Massingham has, pointed out.in the Nation th,s,t. on- a -p-raportiori^l basig, Sinn Fein is entitled only to S? seats! Supposing th^t. the abs,f4ivte. majoiity system had obtained in "IffiJand, the situation yvb\ild b.c. just as it is tp.-day. Yet yog invite the Parliament of New Zealand to wast^ its time. qvpp a prpppsal which, so far froia removing, wjll rather aggravate the evils you condemn! Evidently you have forgotyen 'the.fact that, in view of the coming local government elections in Ireland, the British Government ha.s just rushed through a Bill |P ensure their being conducted under the proportional .system. May I point out, in conclusion, that you -a-re incorrect in stating thjit thb Labottf Party w.quld support your suggested Absolute Majqrity Bill. That party has frankly declared for proportional Terjresen,tatiQn, antd they are not likely to be per-suaded to, support a scheme of which the real, thOV.Sh n°t the a.vowed, object is tp deprive them of r-e.B,fesenta.tipJi.—l m, etc., -

p. j, o;re§an

16th July.